Automatic window regulator



April 25, 1933. E. ACKERMAN AUTOMATIC WINDOW REGULATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Sept. 25, 1929 llll 3/ //L. W w

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April 25, 1933. E. L. ACKERMAN AUTOMATIC WINDOW REGULATOR Filed Sept.25, 1 929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 w INVENTOR. Zak 17w A kw em/v W Z M ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 25, 1933 EDWARD L. AoKnRMAmor nnrnorr; MICHIGAN, AssreNoaTo ACKERMAN-BLAESSER-; rEzzEY, INCORPORATED, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN,nooaroaarron 0F MICI-IIGAN 1 .AUTOMATIQ WINDOW REGULATOR Applicationfiled September 25, 1929. Serial No. 394,947.

This inventionrelates to. window regulators, and the object of theinvention is to'provide a window regulator in which the window may bemanually lowered against a spring of sufficient tension to automaticallyraise the window upon release and in conjunction therewith to provide afriction brake or lock device through operation of,

which the window may be automatically raised from a lowermost positionto anyv predetermined point or to fully-closed position.

In the usual apparatus for raising or lowering a window it has generallybeen the which requires to be rotated in one direction or the other toefiect operation of the winwhat may be termed a friction brake device bymeans of which the rapidity of movement of the window toward the closedposition by the spring may be controlled and by means of which it may beeffectually locked against such movement.

These objects and other features and novelties of the inventionarehereinafter more fully described and claimed, and an auto- -regulatorshowing the same in relation to awindow sash, a portion only of which isshown. v v 3 Fig. 2 is a plan view of my improved regulator. V

Fig. 4: is an elevation partly in section-on an enlarged scale takenfrom the left side of Fig. 1. v

Fig. 5 is a section through the. friction '2 etc., by means of which itmay be secured V Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 33 of Fig.1.

for. V i. i Fig. 6 is an elevation of anadjustable portion of the brakedevice carrying a friction ,Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a section taken on line 99 of Fig. 7. practice to provide acrank operated device Fig. 10 is a detail in spring adjusting tool.

In 1ts preferred form the device consists perspective of the brakedevice and the operating means there- I of a base 1 which is in theformof a sheet 7 metal plate having a series of apertures 2,

to the cross bar of the window recess, usually termed thelock board (nothere shown), in automotive vehicle window construction.

Toward the lower end of this plate there is an aperture to receive astud generally indicated at 4 which is formed with a cylindrical portion5 fitting the aperture in the plate 1 in which the stud is revolvable.

At its inner end 6 the stud is formed with flattened sides fitting. acorrespondingl form-ed aperture in the sash engaging arm and is peenedor headed thereover as at 8 securing the arm between the peened overhead and'a shoulder formed by the part 5.

The large cylindrical portion 9 of the stud extends through acylindrical aperture in an tCl]11Sl3lI1g gear 10 which is revolvable onthis cylindrical portion 9 and lies practically in side engagement withthe plate 1 as shown in Fig. 3. The stud extends outwardly from thisportion 9 by a reduced diameter portion 11 slotted to receive an end 12of the flat spiral coiled spring 18. A stud 14 is. secured,

to this gear 10 and is slottedto receive an end 12 of the spring 13.This gear 10 is further provided with a series of apertures 15 arrangedin a circle adjacent its toothed periphery for the reception, of a screw16 which may be inserted therethrough and into a threaded aperture inthe plate 1 registering therewith as will be understood from 4.

' to overbalance the weight of the sash where upon the screw 16 is againinserted through an aperture 15 and the parts maintained in the adjustedrelationship. The regulator arm 7 which is fixed to the stud 4 has onits long end a roller 22 of the necessary form to engage the bottom edgeof the sash indicated generally at 23 in Fig. 1.

This arm 7- also carries a half circular metal strip 24 attached ateachof its ends to-the regulator arm equi-distantly from the stud or pivotpoint of the arm. This half circular strip 24 extends upward across theback of the plate 1 between the frictiondisc 25 secured in the plate 1and the friction disc 26 secured in the movable holder 27 which issupported on the inner end of a shaft 28 extending through an apertureprovided therefor towards the upper end of the baseplate 1 and throughthe inner facing 29 forming the inner wall of the sash recess in whichthe regulator is mounted as is commonly the practice. On this shaft 28is a cylindrical member 30 which extends into the said aperture in thebase plate 1 and is pe'ened thereover as shown at 31 in Fig. 5.

This end of the member 30 is formed with a recess 32 shown in the saidfigure adapted to receive one end of the coiled spring 33 mounted on theend of the shaft 28, the opposite end thereofengaging against the holder27. The holder 27, as shown in Fig. 6, has a squared aperture 34 fittinga squared portion 35 t me shaft. Above the recessed portion 36 of theholder 27 in which the friction plate 26 is secured, the holder isprovided with two spaced prongs 37 and 38 which are inturned and thenupwardly bentto engage in recesses formed by the struck up lugs 39 and40 of the plate 1. These lugs are positioned above the recess 41 inwhich the friction plate 25 is securedas will be understood from Fig. 5.These recesses formed by the lugs 39 and 40 maintain the holder 27 fromrotation and, 1

due to the squared end of the shaft28 extending through thesquaredaperture 34 of the holder, the said shaft is held from rotationand thus the movable'friction device is always maintained in the sameposition irrespective of the position of the sash. In other words,theholder 27 is held from rotation by the two lugs 39fand 40 and by reasonof its having a squared aperture 34in which'the squared portion 35" oftheshaft 28 fits, the

shaft is held'from rotation thus permitting the member 43 to be turnedin either direction without rotation of the shaft 28 or displacement ofthe holder 27 from its position. The spring 33 tends at all times tomove the holder and friction plate 26 out of contact with the halfcircular strap 24. The shaft 28. is threaded at 42 and a control knob 43has a threaded aperture to rec-eivethe same. This be turned in the.opposite direction to release the same to a greater .or less degree topermit movement of the sash by the regulator arms.

It will be observed from the foregoing descriptionthat, with the spring13 tensioned to'overbalance the weight of the sash, it will at all timestend to raise the'sash to closed position. This sash is movabledownwardly in any convenient mannerat which time the friction brakemechanism is in released condition and whenthe sash has been'moved tothe desired'relation with the window open-'v ing the knob is turned tocause a binding engagement of the friction plate 26 with the strap 24which also causes the strap 24 to come into tight engagement with thefriction plate 25 carried by the plate 1. This, under proper pressure,will prevent automatic movement'of'the sash bythe spring, the strap 24being gripped between two surfaces which may be "of any approvedmaterial adapted for this purpose; Upon releasing the knob 43 byunscrewing the same relative to the shaft 28, the spring 33 will movethe holder 27 "to the left in'Fig. '5 spacing the same from the ringmemberor strap 24 and also release the same from frictional engagementwith the friction plate 25. This will permit the" spring to operate andraise the sash and depending upon the degree to which the holder 27 isreleased the sash will move rapidly or slowly as may be desired.

From the foregoing description it is believed evident that the device isvery simple in construction being of few parts principal-J ly formed ofstamped sheet metal and therefore of comparativelyinexpensiveconstruction, and that by the relationship of the parts described anautomatically operating window regulator is secured.

Having thus briefly described my invention, its utility and mode ofoperation, what I claim andrdesire tosecure by Letters Pat entf-of' theUnited" States "is- 1. In sash operating mechanism, a pivoted arm inoperative engagement with the sash, a spring having a tension suflicientto auto-' matically turn the arm to raise the sash, an arcuate stripattached to the arm, a base plate on which the arm is pivoted, afriction device including a friction plate on the base plate the face ofwhich is practically in registration with the face of the strip, asecond friction plate movable into or out of frictional engagement withthe arcuate strip to hold the arm from movement by the spring or releaseit to movement thereby, yieldable means tending to separate the frictionplates, and manually operable means for moving said second frictionplate into contact with the arm.

2. In sash operating mechanism in which a spring-actuated arm isutilized to move the sash in a vertical plane, a control device by meansof which the arm may be released to operation by the spring or locked inposition to pivotal movement of the sash in either direction comprisingan arcuate strip, the opposite ends of which are connected respectivelyto the arm on opposite sides equidistantly from the pivot point, afriction device through which the arcuate strip is moved on the turningof the arm on its pivot, said friction device comprising a frictionplate secured in the base plate at a distance from the pivot point ofthe arm equal to the radius of the strip and in close association withwhich the strip is positioned, a shaft extending through the base plateand having a squared end, a holder having a squared aperture fitting thesquared shaft, a second friction plate carried by the holder on theopposite side of the arcuate strip from the first named friction plate,a spring tending to move the holder out of contact with the arcuatestrip, means for preventing rotation of the holder and the shaft, saidshaft having a threaded end, a support for the shaft through which saidthreaded end extends, a turnable element threaded on the end of theshaft, the tightening of the turnable element on the shaft causinglongitudinal movement thereof to cause the holder and friction platethereon to clamp the arcuate strip and reverse movement of the turnableelement releasing the holder to movement by its spring, and releasingthe regulator arm to movement by its spring.

3. In sash operating mechanism including a spring-actuated pivoted armtending to slide the sash, a friction brake device including a fixed anda movable friction plate, a spring tending to move said movable frictionplate in a direction away from the fixed plate said arm having apartconnected therewith and movable between the plates as the arm turns onits pivot, and means for moving said movable plate against the tensionof the spring to clamp the said partbetween the EDWARD I L. ACKERMAN.

